The 1986 Football World Cup was held in Mexico.

It was won by Argentina who beat Germany 3-2 in the final.

The tournament was originally scheduled to be hosted by Colombia, but after the Colombian authorities declared in 1983 that they could not afford to host the World Cup, Mexico was selected as replacement host and became the first nation to host two Football World Cups. This second World Cup in Mexico came only 16 years after the first one in 1970.

It was the tournament of Diego Maradona who was at the peak of his form and lead the Argentinian team to the title. His most memorable performance probably came during the quarter final against England, where he scored both goals in the 2-1 victory. One goal was scored, in his own words, by the "hand of God" and the other followed a dribbling through the complete English half around most of the English team.

Germany won their second World Cup semifinal against France in a row (following their defeat of France in 1982) only to lose their second World Cup final in a row.